Full Surrender

“Actually, I promised my folks I’d head home in a couple of days. I’m spending ten days back in Cape Cod so they can invite all the family and throw a big shindig for me the weekend before my brother Jack’s wedding. It’s the only reason they didn’t meet the ship when I came home.”

“So you don’t have much time.” She bit her lip, wishing she had him to herself a little longer. Plus, knowing he’d only be here a few days put an awful lot of pressure on her to get this affair off the ground in a hurry. “Unless we could do this after you get back to Norfolk?”

She was already mentally rearranging her schedule. Beside her, Danny put down his fork on his empty plate.

“Why don’t you just go to the Cape with me?” He finished his water and set the glass on the table, his full attention back on her.

“With all your family? For a wedding, no less?” She knew a little about the Murphys thanks to her friend and former coworker Christina, Danny’s cousin—Stephanie and Danny had met at Christina’s house all those years ago.

The Murphy family was huge, with five biological brothers and a sixth who they’d fostered. They were also wealthy beyond her imagining, owning a hotel conglomerate with interests that spanned the globe. Danny’s father was a Fortune 500 executive, and he’d always expected Danny to go into the family business. She’d read a little more about the Murphys in the past year, which was how she’d worked up the nerve to phone Danny’s mom a week ago. No matter that his dad sounded like a driven business guru, the articles online had depicted Colleen Murphy as a dedicated humanitarian and down-to-earth person.

“Why not? There’s lots of room back home, so it’s not like we’d be right on top of everyone else. I usually stay in the gatehouse, so I’ve got some privacy while I’m there. And two of my brothers have places nearby so they wouldn’t be underfoot anyhow.” He propped an elbow on the back of the couch, facing her. “They’re not a bad group. Competitive as all hell, but they’re good guys. And the thing is, I hear they’ve all got women in tow now. So if you don’t go, I’d be the only stag Murphy in the bunch.”

“They’ve got women in tow?” Stephanie wondered if she should be offended. “Will I be in tow?”

“Okay. Poor choice of words. Technically, I’ve got two brothers engaged, one getting married and two more sapped out over women they’re dating.” His hand strayed close to her shoulder and she imagined its weight on her skin. Its warmth smoothing over her bare flesh. “I haven’t even met Kyle’s or Axel’s new girlfriends so that’ll be a trip.”

“Won’t it be a lot of pressure for you to show up with me?” She wasn’t sure she was ready for family scrutiny when she’d only just barely worked up the courage to reclaim her sleeping sensuality after all this time. “I mean, will people expect us to be a real couple?”

“No one is going to expect anything.” He frowned. “But if it makes you uncomfortable—”

“No.” She didn’t want to miss out on the time with him. Family or not, she preferred to have more time with Danny since she didn’t expect to solve her intimacy issues overnight. As much as she wanted to test the waters with him, she worried she might take two steps forward and one step back. “I’d love to go to the Cape with you. Thanks for asking.”

“Great.” He settled deeper into the couch cushions, his fingers finally straying closer to her shoulder. He smoothed a touch along her upper arm, just below the seam of the white cotton fabric of the T-shirt. “That settles that. Now we just need to figure out what to do for the next couple of days until we leave.”

Was it her imagination, or had his voice grown softer? Seductive. The hooded look he gave her revealed nothing, but it sure heated her insides.

“I can go back to Norfolk.” She knew it was a foolish offer as soon as she made it. She’d asked him to re-create their affair, hadn’t she? Why back away like a scared rabbit now that he’d said yes? “I mean, I don’t want to infringe on your downtime if you’d like a few days to rest and … whatever.”

“I think it would be great if you’d stay with me. Right here.” His thumb circled a small patch of her skin, giving her goose bumps everywhere else.

“Ooh.” She cleared her throat to cover her sigh of pleasure at his touch. “That would be nice. I left my car back near the base, though. My bag is in the trunk.”

“Do you keep a spare key in the wheel well or somewhere underneath?” His fingers skimmed higher, hitching up the seam on her T-shirt to touch the top of her shoulder.

“No.” She couldn’t help the shiver that went through her. “Why?”

“I have a friend who would drive it up here if I let him take my boat out in return. That is, if you don’t mind someone else driving your car.”

She had all she could do not to stretch like a cat under his lightly stroking hand. Why was it that she could let her guard down around him so easily when she’d been tense and agitated every time Josh came near her back when they’d dated? Was it that another year had passed? Or was it one hundred percent Daniel Murphy?

“Actually, I have one of those models where you can call the company and they’ll bounce a satellite signal down to make it unlock or some crazy trick like that. Although I guess that won’t help him start the car.” She frowned, wishing she could have taken him up on the offer. The trip from D.C. had been more than enough time behind the wheel for her in a day.

“Umm … this guy’s a ship mechanic. I give him ten-to-one odds he can hot-wire your car with his eyes closed. I’ll have him pick it up in the morning, unless you really need your things tonight.” His whole hand cupped her bare shoulder now and that seemed to be the only thing she could think about.

With no bra to get in the way, he could be touching her bare breast with the slightest movement. Better yet was the realization that she really, really would like that.

“Yes.” She tipped her neck to one side, giving him all the more room to touch her. “That would be perfect.”

He quit touching her.

“You want me to have it brought here tonight?” Danny reached for his phone on the coffee table.

She shook her head, confused for a moment until she recalled what he’d asked. “No. I don’t need the car.”

“You’re sure?” He still held the cell phone when she wanted him to hold her.

“Positive.” She left the rest of the words unspoken, the request for him to put his hands back on her.

“Okay. Cool.” He set the phone down again and met her gaze.

She could have sworn that heat flared in his eyes for a second before he scrambled to his feet.

“I’d better put the food away.” He picked up the dishes and glasses, whisking them into the kitchen while she tried to recover from the sharp bite of longing she hadn’t felt in years.

Seducing Danny could take a little more ingenuity than she’d thought if she had intimacy issues and he was going to insist on taking things slow. Just because she’d received an invitation to spend the night didn’t mean she’d be sleeping in his bed.

ACCEPTING STEPHANIE’S INVITATION didn’t mean he could fall on her like a sailor on dry land for the first time in months. He would restrain himself because she deserved better. Hell, she might not even be ready to be with him like that given the way he’d freaked her out back in the water. As much as she might be sending him the green-light signal, chances were good that she didn’t know exactly what she needed.

Which was why he would be a gentleman if it killed him. Which was also why he cleared the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen with a speed and dedication he usually reserved for his job.

He had no idea how things would go between them tonight, but his blood still simmered. He’d be back out in the bay to cool down if he couldn’t get himself under control.

In the living room, Stephanie wandered around checking out his book collection on one shelf and old CDs on the other. He’d chased her out of the kitchen twice, mostly because he needed the space to get his head on straight. He looked over again, and saw she was scrolling through his iPod playlist while the device was docked in the stereo. When she cranked up a Doors tune, the house filled with dark, moody music. She sang and twirled absently, occasionally running her finger down a book spine or drifting past the open French doors to breathe the fresh air.

Seeing her like this, full of song and a bounce in her step, brought him right back to that night they’d first met.…

MUSIC STILL POURED through him, the echo of his show in the city humming in his head. Danny had booked the gig in Manhattan three months ago, knowing his band had what it took to make it on a big stage. And sure enough, the well-connected club owner had declared their show a success. The other guys in the band had expressed doubts about his level of commitment to music given the prominence of his family—and his dad’s seemingly never-ending thirst to expand Murphy Resorts, Inc. while strong-arming all his sons into corporate positions. But maybe the fact that Danny had set up this gig would quiet his detractors.

His bandmates certainly looked happy enough as they mingled at a house party hosted by Danny’s cousin, journalist Christina Marcel. The timing had been nice for him since Christina was headed overseas for a six-month-long news feature on the war in Iraq and she’d wanted to throw a little going-away party for her and her camerawoman, Stephanie Rosen. She’d been more than happy to expand the event into a reception for the musicians.

“You were awesome!” Christina threw herself into Danny’s arms as soon as he walked out onto her balcony, her energy a formidable thing. “You’ve got to cut yourself free from the resort business and pursue your music, Dan,” she whispered in his ear. “You’re so talented with that guitar.”

“Thanks.” He kissed her cheek, liking the view from her Brooklyn apartment. The city glowed across the water, reminding him his dreams were all right there for the taking.

Except that, more than music, he wanted to follow Christina over to Iraq. He hated sitting at a desk job and carrying on, business as usual, while a war unfolded. He needed to get involved. To use his smarts for something beyond making another dollar for the old man. He liked music, but even that had been making him feel restless.

“Have you met Stephanie?” Christina asked, oblivious to his dark thoughts as she blew kisses to someone who had just come out onto the balcony.

Danny turned to see one of his older brothers, Jack, who’d made the trip to New York with him. Danny couldn’t help but think that Jack was his designated watchdog this weekend. In a family full of high achievers, Danny had always been the crazy one, whereas Jack was Mr. Responsible. Long ago, the guy had been charged with watching over the younger brothers while the oldest learned the ropes of the resort business.

“No.” Danny looked around the balcony, more than ready to meet anyone that wasn’t related to him. Sometimes, when you had a big family, it was damn tough to escape their expectations. “Is she here yet?”

“Are you kidding?” Christina laughed and tugged him closer to whisper in his ear. “She’s been looking forward to an introduction ever since your first set back at the club.”

Danny waited while Christina waved her hand over the crowd.

And summoned a woman who damn near floored him.